East Turkistan, which the Chinese call the Uyghur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, is located in the heart of Asia. It is located on the ancient Silk Road and was one of the most important trading centers in the world for over 2000 years. Great civilizations were founded in this land, which influenced the history of mankind with their traditions, cultures and strengths.
The Uyghurs have a history of more than 4000 years in East Turkistan. The ancestors of the Uyghurs and other Turkic-speaking peoples founded many states and empires in the region we now call East Turkistan. The Uyghurs played an extremely important role along the legendary Silk Road and also in the cultural exchange between East and West. As a result, they developed their unique culture and civilization. In ancient times, the Uyghurs, like the other Turkic-speaking tribal peoples of Central Asia, practiced shamanism, Manichaeism, and Buddhism. Before the beginning of the first century of our era, before the Uyghurs embraced Islam, the territory of Eastern Turkistan was one of the great centers of Buddhist culture.
Uyghur Khaganate in 840 AD.
Chagatai Khanate 1294 A.D.
Karakhanid Empire in the 11th century A.D.
Close contact between other Muslim regions and the Uyghur region began in the early 9th century when Islam became the official religion. During the time of the Karakhanid Empire, the Islamization of the Uyghurs was accelerated. Within a short period of time, Kashgar became the capital of the Karakhanid Empire and one of the most important educational centers of Islam. The education, art, music and literature of this state influenced the entire Islamic culture of the time. During this period, numerous Uyghur scientists, artists and authors achieved great fame. Thousands of influential scientific books were written. In particular, the books of Yusup Has Hajip "Kutadgu Bilig" (1069-1070) and of Mahmud Kashgari "Divan-I Lugat-it Turk" (the first Turkic-Arabic dictionary) achieved great fame.
The Manchu Invasion
The independence of the Uyghur Empire, also known as the Seyyid Empire or Yarkent Empire, was destroyed by the invasion of the Manchu Dynasty in 1759. The territory of East Turkistan was then annexed by the Manchu Empire. The Manchu rule lasted in East Turkistan from 1759 to 1862, during which time the Uighurs and other peoples of East Turkistan committed many uprisings and freedom movements against the foreign rule. They organized 42 uprisings to regain their independence. In 1864, the Manchu rule was ended by Jakub Bek and a new Uyghur state "Yetteshahar"(Seven Cities) was established. However, the independence of this state did not last long. The Manchu Empire, after eight years of bloody war, conquered the entire territory of East Turkistan on November 18, 1884 and incorporated it into their empire as a new province with the new name "Xinjiang" (which means "new territory").
Chinese rule in East Turkistan
In 1911, the Chinese nationalists replaced the Manchu regency and established a republic. Han Chinese governors ruled the territory of East Turkistan, as they had in the last years of the Manchu Empire. The central government of China had little power and influence in East Turkistan, and the Uighurs tried several times to expel the foreign rulers from their land. They succeeded twice, in 1933 (Islamic Republic of East Turkistan) and in 1944 (Republic of East Turkistan). However, the establishment of independence of East Turkistan was prevented by military invasions and political intrigues of the Soviet Union. Finally, in October 1949, the troops of the Chinese People's Liberation Army invaded East Turkistan and finally destroyed the Republic of East Turkistan only in 1955. After 6 years of bloody purge, the Chinese Communists gave the area the name "Uighur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang" and incorporated it into the People's Republic of China. This prompted the second wave of emigration of Uyghurs abroad. The rule of the Chinese communists in East Turkistan can be considered the darkest chapter in the entire history of the Uyghurs and East Turkistan. Under the present conditions, the existence of the Uyghur nation is threatened with utter annihilation. The Chinese communist government has taken devastating measures against Uyghurs and other minorities of East Turkistan in order to ensure the permanent occupation of the country. Despite all the brutal and destructive campaigns of the Chinese government against the cultural identity and existence of the Uyghurs, the Uyghurs and the other minorities of East Turkistan are resisting being oppressed by China.